Star Wars Day: Five Places To Film The Next Star Wars Movie In Wyoming

As millions of fans gear up for International Star Wars Day this week, there are several places here in Wyoming that would make an excellent setting to film an upcoming film in the franchise.

Here's our top five. May the 4th be with you.

1. Devils Tower National Monument – The first ever United States National Monument gained fame for movie lovers in 1977, when director Steven Spielberg filmed several scenes for his sci-fi classic “Close Encounters of the The Third Kind” here.

2. Mammoth Hot Springs – When the makers of “Star Trek: The Motion Picture” were scouting locations for the mythical planet of Vulcan, they originally chose a site in the country of Turkey. Luckily, the producers ran out of money and ended up filming several scenes at the Minerva Terrace near Mammoth Hot Springs in Yellowstone National Park.

3. Hell’s Half Acre – Used as the backdrop for the fictitious planet Klendathu in the movie Starship Troopers, this unique outcropping of rock formations, ravines and caves would make an ideal setting for ‘Star Wars’.

4. Killpecker Sand Dunes – Located in the Red Desert just outside of Rock Springs, this popular recreation site was formed by the core of an ancient volcano called the “Boar’s Tusk,” which rises out of the desolate landscape.

5. Vedawoo – Few places in Wyoming are more ‘out of this world’ than Vedawoo. The granite formations date back over 1.4 million years. The nearby Fountain Formation ranks among the most spectacular, and odd, sandstone outcroppings anywhere in America.